


lay down your slow (come settle down)

by twosetmeridian



Series: counterpoint [twosetviolin oneshots] [2]
Category: Twosetviolin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, M/M, RPF, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 22:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21309493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twosetmeridian/pseuds/twosetmeridian
Summary: a night rehearsal for a romantic pas de deux can lead to all sorts of confessions, for two ballet dancers.
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Series: counterpoint [twosetviolin oneshots] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560592
Comments: 6
Kudos: 139





	lay down your slow (come settle down)

**Author's Note:**

> _→ ig request: twoset ballet_
> 
> title from _technicolor beat_ by oh wonder.
> 
>   
**[ crossposted from wattpad; published 9/3/2019 ] **

• • •

the studio is silent, save for the quiet murmur of the wind rustling through the thin pale curtains. brett pulls his knee to his chest, free fingers loosely curled around the barre overhead. they're supposed to be practicing any second now, but he buries himself further into the curve of his leg, clinging to the heat of his sweater. it's a cold night, the sort that people want to spend wrapped around their loved ones for warmth. brett could be taking advantage of this night to rest his weary bones and soothe his body's aches, but here he is instead: taking time to rehearse. 

a romantic pas de deux for two male principals. who would've thought he'd see the day he'd be dancing to such choreography, and with the frustrating love of his life?

from across the floor, he watches his partner stretch, all long lines and strong muscle. of the two of them, eddy is the one built for the stage: strength and grace in equal measure. brett, on the other hand—well. he doesn't really want to think about his own inadequacy. he has worse things to worry about.

"shall we, _monsieur_?" brett startles at the sudden break into the silence. he'd been so lost in his own head, he hadn't realized the other had already finished his barre work. "you look comfy," eddy continues, smiling as the shorter man grumbles, "but we got some work to do, though. sorry."

"yeah, yeah," brett replies, untangling his limbs and taking his sweater off. he doesn't bother taking his glasses off; it's just a rehearsal, after all. "not your fault. let's just get this over with so i can go nap for three days."

eddy's deep chuckle echoes against the wooden floor. brett's heart is loud in his ears as he takes his position a few paces away from the mirror, arms drawn up in bras bas. his partner kneels, slides his other leg forward, raises his hands into fifth position. the music begins, a slow tinkling of piano keys, and they move together: lovers held apart until the dance deems it necessary for them to unite. 

this particular choreography is great and all; brett has no qualms about it. it's the intimacy of it that shakes his resolve to keep this inconvenient crush under wraps and away from eddy's knowledge.

the music swells, becomes more grandiose. brett moves into a quick series of chaîné turns straight into eddy's waiting arms; he rises up into third arabesque: arms poised to fly, mind all too aware of the heat of his partner's hands seeping through the thin fabric of his tights. 

"you're too tense," comes the lowly whisper, and brett tries not to flinch as warm air blows over his ear. he doesn't respond, leaping away with a pas de chat as eddy brushes into a pas de basque. they twist and twirl around each other for a few more bars, passion made real like wildfire, and then—brett's tour jeté into eddy's hold as he catches his partner in flight.

the very second his feet lift off the ground, brett knows something is wrong. the angle is wrong, he's going to land badly, _oh god oh god_—

—he slams into something soft. the two men tumble down to the floor in a tangle of limbs. the taller dancer hits the ground first, takes all the weight on himself, and air punches out of eddy's mouth, straight from the gut.

_oh god_, thinks brett, _oh no._

and then he blinks, realizing that the other had wrapped his arms around him as they fell, and he's tucked securely into eddy's chest. they both stay still, panting and exhausted, and _then_ brett opens his mouth. "why did you do that?" he demands, heart racing a mile a minute. he doesn't move. he thinks he doesn't ever want to. "you could've hurt yourself, you idio—"

a weary laugh spills out into the open. he raises his head to look at his partner, and there's something in eddy's gaze that brett, to his growing realization, finds familiar. he sees it in his own eyes everyday when he looks in the mirror.

"because i'm with you," eddy begins, a hand coming up to brush wayward bangs away from brett's forehead, "win or wound." his fingers stop in their ministrations, pressed against the shorter man's cheek. "you're not in this alone. of course i'm going to do whatever i can to keep you going. don't you know?" eddy smiles, shakes his head. "idiot."

and it is then that brett _understands_.

• • •

stage lights, harsh and bright against the polished floors. brett's hands are shaking ever so slightly, but here he is, here they are: it's showtime. as he watches from the sidelines just out of sight of the audience, the ballabile reaches its final act, and then it'll be their turn. he's not in any way ready for this, but—

his partner emerges from the shadows on the other end of the stage, dark-clothed and sequinned like stars. they share a long look, and then the taller dancer smiles. "_i'm with you_," eddy mouths from across the distance; brett feels it like a whisper against his skin. "_you got me._"

_you've always got me_.

brett's heart settles. the blaring trumpets simmer down into the first tinkling notes: the musical backdrop of their pas de deux. he takes his first step into the light.


End file.
